Aethue weigley



4 SheetsSl1eet 1 A. WRIGLEY. Electrical Railroad-Signal.

No. 225,961 Pa tented Mar. 30,1880.

C C X E 5 A A F104 50 D /T J WITNESSES INVENTOR PETERS. PHOTO-LIH'IOGRQPHEA WASHINGTON (1.0.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 A. WRIGLEY. Electrical Railroad-Signal.

Patented Mar. 30,1880.

INVENTOR WITNESSES fiqzlM'r k N. PETElS. PHOYO-IJTHO 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. Y

A. WRIGLEY. Electrical Railroad-Signal.

Patented Mar. 30, 1880'.

IN VE N TOR WITNESLSjWA N, PETERS, PHOTO-UTHDGRAPMER, WASHINGTON D. C.

ARTHUR WRIGLEY, OF

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

ELECTRICALRAILROAD-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Application filed September 4, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR WRIGLEY, of Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, in that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Signaling upon Railway-Lines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying four sheets of drawings, making a part of this specification.

Figure 1 represents a vertical cross-section of a line of railway witha signal apparatus according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional side view of part of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section in plan through the line X X, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section in plan through the line Z Z, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the upper portion of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an elevation of break and releasing gear. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of Fig. 6. ,Fig. 8 is an elevation'of hand releasing-gear. Fig. 9 is a sectional plan through Y Y, Fig. 5. Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional side view of the rail, Fig. 1. Fig. 11 is a part plan of Fig. 10.

Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the several separate figures, denote like parts in the drawings.

My invention relates to apparatus for automatically working signals on railway-lines by means of electricity brought into operation by a passing or running train.

My invention consists in the arrangement of the driving-gear or electric engine by which the signal is worked; also, in the method of operating the electric engine by an electric contactor operated by the passing train and, finally, in the particular construction and arrangement of the signaling mechanism.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

A A represent a signal-post, provided at the top with duplex signal-doors O O and a night signal-door, O, and a reflector signaldoor, 0'. These signal-doors are worked by an electric battery, D D, placed at the bottom of the signal-post, through the medium of an electric or magnetic engine contained in the Patent No. 225,961, dated March 30,1889.

Patented in England November 20, 1877.

box B of the post A, and shown in detail a Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

The requisite electric contact for completing the electric circuits is effected by the natural depression of the rail R, caused by the passing of the train Y. This depression of the rail R actuates the electric contactor. (Illustrated in detail at Figs. 10 and 11, and hereinafter described.)

Upon reference to Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, it will be seen that a is a magnet-wheel or electric engine, provided with a series of armaturcs, b, and operated or rotated by a series of electromagnets, 0. The axis of the electro-magnet Wheel a is provided with a small toothed pinion, d, which gears into and drives the large toothed wheel 0, upon the axis of which is mounted a second toothed wheel, f, having the teeth on a portion of its circumference, at f, cut away.

The toothed wheel f operates a toothed quadrant, 9, upon the axis of which is mounted the signal-door G, a convenient form being the duplex door 0 0, (refer also to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4,) opening in the center and connected by means of two lovers and a rod, W. (See Figs. 4 and 5.)

The duplex door 0 0 works within the box E, which is glazed on both sides with glass, so as to show a clear light through when the door 0 O is open. The door 0 0, when shut, obscures the light through the box E, so that when the door (3 O is opened the signal line clear, or safety, is shown and when the door 0 C is shut lineblocked, or danger, is indicated.

The doors 0 O are painted red, and are hinged and set in the box E, so as always to close by their own gravity by swinging to.

Referring to Fig. 9, it will be seen that a portion of the teeth of the operating toothed wheel f are cut away. By this means two essential objects are obtained: First, the doors 0 0 being set so as always to swing to by gravity and indicate danger, they are able to close by the toothed quadrant 9 being out of gear with the toothed wheel f; secondly, when closed, and when the quadrant g is in the reverse position to that shown in Fig.- 9, the electro-magnet wheel a is enabled to obtain an impetus and great force before the teeth of the wheel f come into gear with the teeth of the quadrant g, which operates the door 0 O.

The essential features of this part of my invention being the liberating of the door 0 G for swinging to, by the toothed wheel f being out of gear with the toothed quadrant g by being out of gear, the obtaining of the impetus for opening by the electromagnet wheel a, and thereby the opening of the door 0 O and its attendant parts, being the night-door C and the reflector-door 0', against gravity, and from a position which indicates danger, the doors 0 O are held open by the catch h, (see Figs. 5, 6, and 7,) which is operated for the purpose of releasing the doors through the medium of the electro-magnet i. The catch it also serves to operate the friction break-gear 70, Figs. 6 and 7, as by the pressure of the door 0 against the catch h the rubber of the break 70 at k is applied to the interior of the magnet-wheel a. (See Fig. 6.) The electric current which operates the magnet-wheel a is controlled by the contactor in connection with the door 0'. (See Figs. 5 and 9.)

The operation is: As the door O opens, the lever l throws over the lever and armature Z, and breaks contact with the electro-magnet p by lifting a bent arm, m, out of the mercurial contactor a. (See Fig. 9.) When the door 0 closes, the electro-magnet p is free to attract the lever and armature l, and renew the contact by reinserting the arm m into the mercury-pot n, which operation is effected by magnetizing the electromagnet p by an electric current from the post, being the signal-post in front, through the wire T.

I would here state that I do not claim as s new the mercurial'cont-actor m n, as such a principle of making contact is known.

The opening and shutting of the door 0 O operates a second door, 0', being a shield or screen of flint-glass hinged in front of a lamp (see Fig. 3) in such a way that when the large doors (1 (3 open, the glass door 0 also opens and indicates line clear by showing a white light. When the large door 0 (J swings to by the power of gravity, the glass door also shuts by gravity or by its connection with the main door, and indicates danger by displaying a red light.

On the signal-post A there is a third door, 0', which is in connection with the door 0 O and worked thereby. This door 0 serves as a shield to a reflector, and is arranged so that when the doors 0 C are open it will reflect the light carried by the engine, and when the doors 0 G are shut no reflection takes place. The door 0 thus acts as a tell-tale.

As beforementionethin connection with each signal-post there is an electric battery, D, which may be placed as shown at Fig. 1. This battery is for the purpose of driving the electromagnetic engine a, which operates the signal'door O O. The same electric battery may be used for releasing the signal-doors O O, by magnetizing the electro-magnet '2 Figs. 5, G, 7, and 9, and drawing down the catch h. The dotted lines V illustrate the lead of the electric wires, and the dotted line T indicates the electric wires from the next post in front.

The contactor shown at R R S, Fig. 1, is illustrated in detail at Figs. 10 and 11. Upon reference it will be seen that R is an ordinary length of rail, which is arranged so that the depression caused by a passing train actuates the contactor, which consists of a vertical bar, R, attached to the rail, and attached to and working the bell-crank lever It, which increases the stroke of and works the contactbar 3, the contact being effected by the bar 3' entering the bent-wire spring-jaws R.

The contactor is contained in the closed box S, which is rigidly suspended from the rail R by means of the strong rods S. T is the electric wire in connection with the spring-jaws and the contacter.

The operation of my invention may be thus summarized: The train, as it passes the signalpost A, (such as shown at Fig. 1,) sets the signal-doors O O at danger, by causingthe catch h to be drawn down by the electro-magnet i. This is effected by the train working the contactor R R S, (also shown at Figs. 10 and 11,) which completes the electric circuit necessary for magnetizing the electro-magnet When released the doors 0 0 swing to by their own gravity and indicate danger and block the line. When the train arrives at the next signal-post in front, it, in like manner, by means of the contactor, actuates the signal of that post, and at the same time, by means of a second contactor, sends a current of electricity back to the first post, and causes the electromagnet 19, Figs. 5 and 9, to actuate the contact-maker m n, and thus complete the electric circuit, which is required to start the magnetic engine a, and thereby open the signal-doors O G, which, when open, are again held by the catch h. The magnetic engine a is stopped by the break is, and at the same time the contact at m n, by which the electric current is caused to work the magnetic engine a, is broken by the arrangement of levers H.

The signal apparatus according to my invention can be worked to great advantage on the duplicate system.

Should anything break down the various motions required can be done by hand. The requisite gear is shown at Figs. 5 and 8, the doors being worked in Fig. 8 by means of a lever, Q, and a hand-chain, Q, which lifts the spindle, and thereby the door 0, free from the catch h, so that the door 0 O can swing to.

For opening the doors the cross-bar and hand-chain H are used, which operate the doors by a lateral movement and contact with the stops H on the rod W.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. For the purposes of signaling upon railway-lines, an apparatus consisting of the combination of a signal-post, A, with duplex signal-doors O O and the doors 0 G, with a magnetic engine, a, and a line-contactor,-

R R R R R, worked by the depression of the rail caused by a passing train, substantially as described.

2. The combination of catch-holder h, moving leversl and l, signal-doors O and G, with the electro-niagnets v1 and 1), substantially in the manner described, for thepurpose specified.

3. The combination, with the signaling apparatus, of the electric contact maker and breaker m n and the levers Z Z, substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination, with the electromag- ARTHUR WRIGLEY. [L. 8.]

Witnesses:

FREDERICK JOHN OHEESBROUGH, JOHN HAMILTON REDMoND, Both of 15 Water Street, Liverpool, England. 

